The present invention relates generally to squeeze bottles, and in particular relates to a squeeze bottle for applying flowable liquid materials such as ketchup, mustard and like condiments to a food product in one pass.
Squeeze bottles for applying a condiment to a food product are well known. Generally, such a bottle includes a container made of a plastic or other easily compressible material that houses a given condiment. The container defines a neck portion disposed at one end of the container that is attached to an outlet assembly. A standard outlet assembly includes a cap that is threadedly connected to the neck of the container at one end, and has a single outlet tip that faces outwardly from the container at the other end. During use, the container is inverted and squeezed to dispense the condiment from the tip to a food product as a directed stream.
Conventional tips have a circular cross section and generally are sized to provide the user with flexibility to apply a desired amount of condiment to the food product. The softer squeezing of the container will yield a lower mass flow rate out of the tip. Accordingly, in order to accommodate those who wish to apply only a small amount of condiment to the food product, the tips are generally designed with a small cross section. Those who desire an additional amount of condiment can squeeze harder and, typically, make several passes at the food product. This can be a time consuming and often messy procedure. Further, one squeeze may not provide a sufficient amount of pressure to dispense condiment over the length of time necessary to conduct several passes, thereby necessitating multiple squeezes and a resulting non-uniform volume of dispensed condiment across the food product.
There is a need for an outlet assembly usable in combination with a conventional container that enables one to apply a sufficient and consistent amount of condiment to a food product with one pass.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cap for dispensing a flowable liquid material from an axially extending container is provided. The cap includes a substantially radially extending plate, having at least one opening extending therethrough, and a flange extending axially inwardly from the plate and configured to be connected to an axially outer end of the container. The cap further includes at least two outlets having axially outer ends presenting respective openings that extend axially inwardly through the at least one opening in the plate. The cap is configured to selectively place the openings in communication with the container.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a bottle having multiple outlets for the application of a sufficient and consistent amount of flowable liquid material from the bottle.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.